UCA students go green

Amanda Brown, right, shows Kendle Carter how to make a small planter from a water bottle during Green Week 2013 at the University of Central Arkansas.

The goals were to reduce, reuse and recycle as students gathered at Alumni Circle in the middle of the University of Central Arkansas campus to learn how to go about living a more “green” lifestyle.

The occasion was Green Week 2013, an effort by members of the UCA Student Government Association and the Environmental Alliance, along with registered student organizations on campus, to promote the green movement. The event took place Monday through Friday last week.

“It’s important for us as students to [know] the impact of the waste we are producing,” said April Lane, junior co-president of the Environmental Alliance.

The week’s events ranged from informational booths to recycling relays. Every night, Lane said, a speaker or documentary about protecting the environment was featured.

Lane said the Student Government Association

made efforts last year to reduce waste on campus by making “hydration stations” available to UCA students. These stations provide a place for students to refill reusable water bottles instead of plastic bottles piling up in waste receptacles around campus.

Lane said another “green” effort on campus is providing more recycling bins on UCA’s campus to make it easier for students to recycle.

In addition to implementing recycling

projects, Lane said her organization received grant money this year to support developing gardens and purchasing trees to plant on campus.

“We planted 10 trees at Bear Village because there weren’t really any trees over there,” Lane said. “It’s the little things that help. Trees help with runoff and produce oxygen.”

Alex Payson, a sophomore who is a member of the Honors Council, said this was her first year to be involved in UCA’s Green Week.

“It’s a way to cultivate an interest in the students and get the community involved to further the green movement,” Payson said.

Payson said the Honors Council provides representation for students in the Honors College at UCA.

Payson said that during Green Week, the Honors Council focused on informing students about what they’re eating and what kinds of

organizations are available to them to help them encourage the green movement.

“We’ve got time to spend and passion to give,” Payson said.

Junior Amanda Brown, co-president of the Environmental Alliance, said the week of events gets the student body and the community excited about “going green.”

“It doesn’t take anything huge to make a difference,” Brown said. “It starts with a little bit, and you can go from there.”

Brown said her interest in protecting the environment started when she was young.

“I love being outside, and I’m used to seeing a lot of trees and grass,” Brown said. “If we’re tearing [the environment] apart, we won’t have anything else to take care of anymore.”

Brown said she wanted to stress the importance of keeping the environment protected and encourage students to be more aware of the impact they make on the environment by participating in Green Week.

Staff writer Lisa Burnett can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or lburnett@arkansasonline.com.